FOOD ADDITIVES AND PRESERVATIVES

A food additive is any substance that a food manufacturer intentionally puts into a food product in order to achieve a specific desired effect during pro- duction or processing. There are 3,000 types of additives currently being used in this country, and the average American consumes approximately 150 pounds of them a year. Some people have developed chemical sensitivi- ties to certain additives, causing allergies, asthma, and a host of other health problems. Some additives are thought to negatively impact behavior, particu- larly in small children.

Processed, packaged, frozen, ready-to-heat and ‘microwaveable’ foods are the most abundant in artificial preservatives, flavoring, and coloring. Emulsifi- ers, binders and anti-caking agents are added to most processed foods to improve appearance and texture.

The 4 most commonly used food additives:

Nutritional Supplements - many foods are fortified with vitamins and minerals primarily to replace nutrients lost during processing and, therefore, to percent deficiency diseases. Com- mon fortifications include vitamin D in mild, vitamin A in margarine, iron and vitamin C in breads and iodine in table salt.

Artificial Flavoring Agents - some, such as MSG, can cause severe headaches and nausea as it has a stimulating effect on the brain (an excitatory neurotoxin)

Coloring Agents - are used to make foods more attractive. They are especially prominent in foods targeted for children. Some allergists feel that those agents and other additives can cause behavioral distur- bances (especially ADD/ADHD) and headaches.

Preservatives - such as nitrites and sulfites, retard spoilage, pre- serve flavor and color, and keep oils from turning rancid, thereby greatly extending the safe-use period of many foods. Nitrites in cured meat have shown to cause cancer in animals and increase the risk of cancer in hu- mans. Please use nitrite-free cured meats whenever available. Sulfites are used to preserve color in dried fruits and frozen French Fries. They can trigger asthmatic attacks in susceptible people.